The question was simple. The answer was not.
Does Jared Goff get enough respect from people outside the Detroit Lions’ facility?
“I mean, I don’t know,” Dan Campbell said in response to my question Tuesday. “I don’t even know how to answer that, honestly. I don’t know.”
The Lions coach was at a loss for words, and it’s hard to blame him because who can really say what everyone in the world thinks about anyone or anything. Go to your favorite Detroit sports bar, ask 10 people they think of Goff and you’ll get very different answers.
But the Lions coach is certain about what he thinks about his quarterback.
“I know this,” Campbell said. “I think we have a lot better handle and feel of who he is here than a lot of people do on the outside, because we get to see it every day. So if you’re asking me personally, no I don’t think he gets enough.
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“But at the same token there’s lot going on right now about us and him and it’s pretty positive, but no. I’m gonna say it again: I’m glad he’s ours, I think he’s doing a good job, I think he’s right on pace, and there we go.”
At Tuesday’s joint practice with the New York Giants in Allen Park, Goff looked like he usually looks: poised and accurate. Afterward, I asked him the same question. Do you get enough respect?
“I don’t care,” he said. “Don’t care. Don’t even know if I do or not. Try to win games for this team. That’s all.”
And yet when I asked Goff about his recent comments on a recent podcast, it was clear respect matters to him.
“I think there’s a lot of members of our media that have an easy time writing bad things, and they have for quite some time,” Goff said last week on “Pardon My Take.”
When the Lions turned things around, Goff said the haters had nothing to write. “Yeah,” he said with a smile, “it maybe took a little gas out of their tank and it’s been fun.”
I’m pretty sure Goff wasn’t talking about me. I’m happy to own any criticism I’ve leveled at a player, coach or team. But I wasn’t very critical of the Lions’ 1-6 start last season because I thought it was still a rebuilding year. Most of those first six losses were close and I predicted a 6-11 record anyway. I also have a decent relationship with Goff and I’ve been understanding of his difficult journey since the end of his time with the Rams.
If nothing else, Goff’s quip about sticking it to some members of “our media,” speaks to the chip on his shoulder. Believe me, it’s there. He’s pretty good at making subtle references to slights. I asked him if the chip helps him.
“I think it always helps,” he said. “You always want to find that edge someway somehow. That’s a smaller edge for me.
“I think I’ve got more personal ones that internally fire me up. But yeah, it’s always good to have the little chip on your shoulder that you want to prove people wrong.”
Here’s the thing about carrying around a chip. It can be an unnecessary burdens that weighs you down. Or it can be a fulcrum that powers an inspired performance.
Goff was a roundabout Pro Bowler last year as an initial alternate who took the place of Super Bowl-bound Jalen Hurts. But he deserved the honor in his own right after throwing 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
He played well last year, but he might be the least talked about starting quarterback among any team that’s a favorite to win its division.
I think part of that is because of his history with the Rams. It’s also because he isn’t flashy, he isn’t colorful and he doesn’t play on a team that’s done much winning. If we apply the highly scientific metric of social-media hype, there’s no question fans were way more excited about Bridgewater becoming the Lions’ backup than they were about the guy he was backing up. Maybe they’re just happy about finally having their bridge and Bridgewater.
If you look at real metrics, like the truly deep, dark, rabbit-hole stuff put together by those nerds at Pro Football Focus, well, Goff doesn’t get a ton of respect there, either.
Like a substitute teacher on a bad day, PFF assigned Goff a 72.4 grade, 20th out of 39 quarterbacks, just behind Ryan Tannehill and just ahead of Dak Prescott. Bridgewater didn’t meet the snap-minimum requirement, but had a 71.2 grade. Somehow, Jacoby Brissett and Andy Dalton had top-10 grades.
But PFF did give Goff his due in several categories, including play-action, where “he paced the league in touchdowns (16) and passer rating (124.6) while ranking third in adjusted completion percentage (84.4%) on play-action throws.”
PFF did temper its adulation by saying it considers play-action an “unstable metric,” which I assume refers to differences in protection and the threat of the run game.
His 64.3% accuracy rate also ranked seventh among qualifying QBs.
“After three straight years of decline after the 2018 Super Bowl run with the Rams, Goff finally rebounded with a solid year for the surprising Lions,” PFF wrote. “His play may have changed the Lions’ trajectory, as they may have taken a quarterback in the first round but waited until later so they could see if Goff’s 2022 season was another mirage or him actually turning the corner.”
So does Goff get enough respect?
He definitely does not. But if he puts together another season like he did in 2022, he may never get asked the question again.
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Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.